THE turn of the year couldn't have come quicker for Bradford City Women, as they look to change their fortunes and get their season back on track.

A 2-1 defeat to Middlesbrough on December 12 ensured City finished 2022 at the foot of the Division One North (National League) table and it concluded a fairly miserable start to life as boss for Charlotte Stuart.

However, a new year brings new beginnings and Bradford will be hoping for that to be the case.

Stuart's side return to action on Sunday when they host Brighouse Town in the County Cup, and after being out of action for over a month, the Bantams are eager to get going again.

Club Chairman, Qasim Akhtar, said: "It's been a very long month in terms of not having any match action. Obviously, there is still the day-to-day running of the club and work to be done behind the scenes, but the bit that we are all here for and enjoy is the football.

"Thankfully, we were able to train right up until the week before Christmas, while we managed to get a number of the players together in small groups for some unit work. The players had a week and a half off but still kept things ticking; and we are now back into training and eager to tackle the second half of the season."

Akhtar added: "I don't know if excitement is the right word to use about us returning, however, the word belief fits the bill perfectly. There is still a lot of belief within the camp that we can go and do the business out on the pitch. It's easier said than done, but you can go back over our results this season and you'll see that in eight out of the ten games we've played, there has only been one goal in it whether that's been a goal in our favour or a goal against us.

"We know where we need to improve, we know that we need to be more defensively solid for longer periods of the game and we also know that we need to score more goals at the other end of the pitch. Yes, the table doesn't lie but we've got some huge games coming up against some of the teams in and around us, and we fully believe in our capabilities to go out there and get the all important three points. 2023 is a new year, so it's all about looking forward now. As the Chairman, I will also continue to back the project that we have started with Charlotte and the team. Starting this Sunday, a victory against Brighouse would give the team the boost they need to push forward as a collective."

With 2023 here, it's given Akhtar and the club a chance to make new targets, goals and aspirations for the forthcoming year and the Chairman admitted that youth development will play a huge part in the club's forward thinking.

He said: "We always try to set new objectives as the season moves forward, but even more so at the turn of a year. On the pitch, we'd love to put a run together and see the brand of football grow. Off the pitch, there is a lot going on particularly with the junior and youth set up. We've got some very, very good players coming through the u21s and u23s and we believe that we've created the right pathway for them to make the move up to the first team eventually.

"We are putting a big emphasis on the younger players this year because we do have some very talented players, and there is nothing better than seeing homegrown talent come through and shine for the first team. I'm extremely excited to see where this crop of players can go."